Boating American style.....for all you sea dogs out there.

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It’s one thing being an idiot in charge of an expensive boat, it’s a completely different thing being the person in charge of a boat, carrying passengers & kids, who’re not prepared, secured and wearing life jackets. Several of these boats were one more wave away from being swamped.
Things go from fun, to life threatening, in seconds.
 
Not just yanks. I remember many years ago, after an unsuccessful land based trip to Green Cape, on the way home I stopped at Narooma and Bermagui. Bought a hamburger and sat on the hill above the boat ramp, watching tourists launch. Some were slick and some were sick! Wish I had a mobile phone with a camera back then!
Guys launching with tiedown straps still on, jocky wheels down, no hope of reversing, was comedy gold and ramp rage was real!
 
Not just yanks. I remember many years ago, after an unsuccessful land based trip to Green Cape, on the way home I stopped at Narooma and Bermagui. Bought a hamburger and sat on the hill above the boat ramp, watching tourists launch. Some were slick and some were sick! Wish I had a mobile phone with a camera back then!
Guys launching with tiedown straps still on, jocky wheels down, no hope of reversing, was comedy gold and ramp rage was real!
A speedboat, mono hull, operator watched the professional fishermen, in their catamarans, slicing through the waves on the Mallacoota bar
and obviously thought that if they could cross the bar at speed then so could he.
Bad decision. His mono hull boat became airborne and flipped. The stern of the boat, with heavy motor attached, sank, leaving only the bow out of the water, held up by its airtight compartment.
The operator swam ashore and the boat drifted off towards Bastion Point. A professional fisherman took his catamaran out and towed the speedboat in to the beach from where it was recovered safely.
Presumably the operator learned that not all boats exhibit the same characteristics and not all operators share the same level of competence.
 
I use to live down Sandringham and often rode the pushy down to watch the clowns launch their boats at Black Rock, same thing. All experts, waving arms everywhere, people cued up laughing at those launching ahead of them, only for them to also screw up and those behind them laughing. Ramp rage, swearing cursing, ass up on the slippery ramp, wives loosing it with hubbies, hubbies loosing it with wives, high dollar boats getting chipped by first time boat launchers, kids laughing at Dads, Dads loosing it with the kids, wives going off for Dads loosing it, life long buddies arguing, then there’s those that come along and just don’t give a shit, bash the boat about before mates jump in and their off, then pop comes along.. smooth as butter, done it a million times. entertainment gold.
 
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I use to live down Sandringham and often rode the pushy down to watch the clowns launch their boats at Black Rock, same thing. All experts, waving arms everywhere, people cued up laughing at those launching ahead of them, only for them to also screw up and those behind them laughing. Ramp rage, swearing cursing, ass up on the slippery ramp, wives loosing it with hubbies, hubbies loosing it with wives, high dollar boats getting chipped by first time boat launchers, kids laughing at Dads, Dads loosing it with the kids, wives going off for Dads loosing it, life long buddies arguing, then there’s those that come along and just don’t give a shit, bash the boat about before mates jump in and their off, then pop comes along.. smooth as butter, done it a million times. entertainment gold.
At Sorrento on Port Phillip Bay a newcomer to boating watched the marina operator launching boats for clients. He undid the ties, reversed down the ramp at speed then jammed on the brakes and the boat slid nicely off into the water.
The newchum undid his ties, reversed smartly down the ramp and applied the brake. Off slid the boat. It would have been perfect if he had secured the painter. The boat drifted off across the bay to the delight of the recreational watchers.
 
one time an oil rig was wet stacked up off Dampier WA. A few of the skeleton crew decided to launch the fast rescue boat and take it into town to have dinner there for a change. When they got back to the boat, the tide had gone out and the boat was hanging from the jetty bow up
 
one time an oil rig was wet stacked up off Dampier WA. A few of the skeleton crew decided to launch the fast rescue boat and take it into town to have dinner there for a change. When they got back to the boat, the tide had gone out and the boat was hanging from the jetty bow up
The tide certainly goes out a long way on that part of the coast.
Once, on Ninety Mile Beach, we walked out on the sand flats as the tide receded. When low tide was reached we turned and looked at the land. It was just a low blur on the horizon. We then had to step out briskly to stay ahead of the rising tide. It was an easy walk but I hate to think what would have happened if one of us had sprained an ankle out there as the tide was rising.
One chap took his fishing rod out there and when he got to the edge of the shallows he baited his hook with a big fish bait and waded out until he was waist deep in the Indian Ocean. He was delighted when something huge took his bail and raced off emptying his reel in seconds. He said that he had always dreamed of getting "spooled" and now it had happened. I pointed out that it was probably a shark and that he was lucky it preferred the fish bait to human flesh. He replied that there had been no problem because in shallow water you can always see a shark coming. I told him that it is the one you don't see that gets you. I think we were both unwise to venture so far out on that notorious bit of coast.
 
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